Athena's Attic of Secrets

We often share the darkest parts of our lives with our friends, but how often do we pause to wonder what they aren’t sharing with us? Now reverse the roles. What are you not sharing with your friends? It all comes down to trust; how much you trust them, and how much they trust you. Vulnerability is never easy. Sharing personal, painful stories opens us up to the fear of judgment. The “Am I normal?” question hangs in the air, and conversations can become awkward. But sometimes, all a person really needs is someone who will listen without judgment. I know this from experience. A few years ago, I shared a story with a friend about being repeatedly sexually assaulted while in foster care. I’d told others about my past before, but I always left out certain details, the ones I had blocked out, compartmentalized, or simply couldn’t remember because the trauma was too heavy to face. Those details didn’t seem necessary… or maybe I just wasn’t ready. This particular friend had made a few advance...

Background Image by redgreystock on Freepik.com You don't need a reason, Let the day go on and on. Every summer sun Every winter evening Every spring to come Every autumn leaving You don't need a reason Let it all go on and on ~ “Wild Child,” Enya, A Day Without Rain Last night, I was lying in bed wondering what I would write for a blog post... Let’s face it: I’ve been slacking on writing. The truth? I just don’t have the passion right now. My spiritual journey threw me for a loop, and, well, I just don’t feel like writing much. Am I procrastinating? Not really. I’ve been busy, just with boring, dreadfully repetitive tasks. A monster of my own making. I chose to use a program that’s extremely limited to create my Book of Shadows Collection. That’s been my main focus for the last three weeks. I hope to finish copying the files into a more accessible application sometime next week. It won’t be finished-finished, but it’s a stressful step, one of many, on the road to wrapping up ...

Background Image by wirestock on Freepik.com I was scrolling through Facebook the other day and one of those spiritual posts popped up. You know the type. “7 Stages of Awakening” with pretty colors and vague labels that promise enlightenment if you just move through the stages like climbing a ladder, one step at a time. It rubbed me the wrong way. Not because I don't believe in stages, but because it treated the process like a straight line. That's just not how it works. In real life, it’s more like two steps forward, one step back. Sometimes five steps back. You make progress, then fall into something that brings up more old wounds. You think you’re past a stage, but there it is again, staring you down. It’s a cycle. It’s messy. And it’s normal. In my own journey, there have been weeks or months where I felt like I was in stage seven, full of joy, peace, and purpose, only to end up right back in stage one. I’ve learned not to panic when that happens. It’s part of it. The truth...